The Sage of Six Paths knew that Hashirama was not a man who clung greedily to the mortal world.
"I know. As elders, we teach them how to make choices, but the actual decision rests with them."
Sage Slug nodded, then offered a reminder: "Lord Hagoromo, I feel that brat Uchiha Ryou is the sort of person who thrives on chaos."
"I've never seen an Uchiha so wicked—worse even than Indra!"
"The turmoil in the Shinobi world all stems from him; if he hadn't resurrected Uchiha Madara, none of this upheaval would have happened."
"Didn't the Great Toad Sage say he lost the ability to foresee the main future timeline over thirty years ago? That was exactly when this kid's 'Demon Orb' descended into the world."
"Perhaps he is the one making the future so unpredictable!"
"We have to deal with him!"
The Sage of Six Paths rubbed his head. "Well... it is rare for an Uchiha descendant to be such an oddball, but he hasn't actually done anything evil."
"I saw it all from the Pure Land: he was forced by circumstance to resurrect Madara! Asura's descendants can love everyone—except the Uchiha."
"Konoha's peace is built upon a silent war against the Uchiha; one day, the Uchiha will inevitably be purged as rebels by Asura's descendants."
"That is precisely why Madara wanted to lead his clan away from Konoha!"
"You could call it Konoha's original sin. As long as this ostracization of the Uchiha persists, the clan will remain a source of instability."
Sage Slug remarked, "I have a premonition: now that the shackle of Madara is gone, Ryou will undoubtedly become a new kind of trouble—a problem far worse than Madara ever was."
The Sage of Six Paths replied, "As long as he doesn't destroy the world or release Mother, let him be."
As for releasing Kaguya—she was the Rabbit Goddess; the mere sight of her beauty would leave men unable to sleep at night.
Legend has it that a man once secretly dug a hole beneath the wall of Kaguya's estate in the dead of night, just to catch a glimpse of her peerless visage.
Peeking while recording.
If that brat Ryou were to lay eyes on Kaguya's stunning beauty, he would undoubtedly set her free—and become the Sage of Six Paths' father in the process.
Slug Sage mused silently to himself; after all, Ryou dared to disrespect even a Great Sage of the Shinobi world like her—was there anything he wouldn't do?
Lord Hagoromo, don't say I didn't warn you; just don't lose your temper when you suddenly find yourself with a new father figure.
At the border of the Land of Rain, within an illusionary space...
Ryou had finished explaining the history of the Uchiha and Senju clans during the Warring States period to Itachi, describing the Senju clan's policy toward the Uchiha as a "slow-boil" strategy—like a frog in warming water.
They used the promise of peace to lull the war-weary hearts of the Uchiha, convincing them that Konoha was their true home.
Yet, in terms of policy, they systematically stifled the Uchiha at every turn.
Observing this situation, Madara foresaw that the Uchiha clan would eventually be destroyed by Konoha, so he sought to lead his clan away from the village.
However, the Uchiha clan no longer trusted him. Driven to despair, Madara discovered the "Eye of the Moon Plan"—left behind by the Sage of Six Paths—inscribed on the clan's ancestral stone tablet.
He had found a path superior to the one offered by Konoha.
Subsequently, to stage his own death, Madara orchestrated the battle against Hashirama at the Valley of the End—a clash so violent it nearly shattered the Shinobi continent.
Madara faked his death, Hashirama retired, and Tobirama took the helm of Konoha.
Tobirama remained perpetually wary of the Uchiha clan; while handing them control of the Police Force appeared to be a sign of trust, the reality was that their residential district was deliberately established right next to the Konoha prison.
Both the Police Force headquarters and the Uchiha residential district were kept far from the village center, and their history of heavy-handed law enforcement fostered deep resentment among the villagers.
Structurally, the Uchiha were firmly confined to the Police Force.
In times of peace, any Uchiha Genin who passed the Chunin Exams was immediately assigned to the Police Force by the village leadership.
It was extremely difficult—virtually impossible—for members of the Uchiha clan to join other departments, such as the Torture and Interrogation Force, the Education Department, or the Intelligence Division.
They were strictly barred from the elite Anbu, the highest-level organization of all.
Ryou's initial entry into the medical corps was due not only to his superb medical ninjutsu skills but also to Tsunade's intercession and the backing of the Uchiha clan.
The Uchiha clan recognized their isolation within the system and hoped Ryou would gradually rise to a high-ranking position at Konoha Hospital, thereby breaking that isolation.
The Uchiha clan's status, their place in the system, their environment, opportunities, and resources—all were tightly locked down by Konoha's upper echelons.
How could the Uchiha break this deadlock?
Ryou demanded of Itachi, "Itachi, answer me! How can the Uchiha break this deadlock?"
Beads of sweat poured down Itachi's face, and the color drained completely from his features; Ryou's perspective was far more farsighted than anyone else's in the Uchiha clan.
Even the hardliners among the clan elders failed to truly grasp the Uchiha's predicament in Konoha.
Did they actually believe a haphazard coup d'état could secure the position of Hokage?
The Uchiha's own arrogance and hubris were also sealing their fate.
Ryou saw the future of the Uchiha clan more clearly than anyone—after all, having seen the original story, he knew exactly what fate awaited them.
He was, in the truest sense, the one who knew everything.
Itachi shook his head vigorously. "That's not it. Lord Hokage is certainly not such a shortsighted man. How could a village that champions the 'Will of Fire' treat us Uchiha this way?"
Ryou looked at Itachi, who could not accept this cruel reality; in the boy's limited worldview, Konoha was one big family.
The upper leadership were the heads of this family, and every clan was a member of it.
Yet, Ryou coldly told him the truth: the Uchiha were being subjected to isolation and emotional abuse, led by the very heads of that family.
"Itachi, you rascal—you're just a kid, yet you've already become a key pillar of the Leaf Village's establishment!"
Ryou stroked Itachi's smooth, shaved head with a paw and remarked, "The Third Hokage certainly has a benevolent heart, but what good is benevolence on its own?"
"The Hokage is an elected position. If he were to openly support the Uchiha and take the lead in dismantling the ancestral laws laid down by Tobirama Senju, he would undoubtedly be impeached and ousted by Tobirama's other disciples or the Senju clan."
Itachi shook his head. "No, Lord Jiraiya has already taken Shisui as his disciple, and the Third Hokage has explicitly voiced his support for the Uchiha."
Ryou sat cross-legged and smiled. "That's only because of the threat posed by Madara; the village leadership has no choice but to rely on the Uchiha's power."
"By the way, Itachi, have you ever had any dealings with Danzo?"
Itachi asked, "Do you mean the old man with the bandages wrapped around his eye?"
Ryou nodded. "Yes, that's the one. He inherited the darkness of Tobirama Senju—specifically, his dark ideology regarding the Uchiha clan."
"He embodies Tobirama's shadow side; he holds extremely radical views against the Uchiha and refuses to let them break free from the cage of restrictions Tobirama imposed."
Itachi said, "Lord Danzo actually tried to intervene and stop it when Lord Jiraiya first took Shisui on as a disciple."
Ryou nodded, then paused in surprise. "Wait, what?! Jiraiya took Shisui as his disciple?"
Itachi nodded. "That's right, Uncle. Lord Jiraiya has taken Shisui on as a disciple and even personally arranged for him to sign the summoning contract for Mount Myoboku."
"Shisui has gained the full acceptance of the Senju faction!"
Ryou couldn't help but be astonished.
The original storyline had completely unraveled after Ryou resurrected Madara, yet the news of Jiraiya taking Shisui as a disciple still caught him off guard.
After all, Jiraiya's and Shisui's ninjutsu styles were completely incompatible.